SPI International’s Erwan Luherne on the Evolving Channels Ecosystem

Now wholly owned by CANAL+ Group, SPI International is tapping into its years of channel management and curation expertise and its extensive suite of digital assets to expand its portfolio of free-to-air, pay-TV and SVOD services. Erwan Luherne took on oversight of the business as managing director following the closing of the CANAL+ deal, having previously served as CANAL+ International’s director of business integration. Luherne shares with World Screen Weekly his strategy for tapping into SPI’s strengths as it navigates the evolving channels ecosystem.

WS: Tell us about your overall suite of products and how you’re meeting consumers where they are.
LUHERNE: SPI International is a global media company that provides entertainment channels and services to various audiences. SPI’s activities can be divided into three categories: free-to-air channels, pay-TV channels and SVOD. We offer mainstream TV channels in multiple countries, taking into consideration the TV needs of our viewers. We have 32 channel brands in our portfolio with 54 dedicated feeds. We are present on six continents in almost 70 countries, and we keep working on extending the distribution of our products to reach new audiences. We can, for example, mention our partnership from this summer with Hrvatski Telekom, the leading telecom operator in Croatia, for full distribution of the FilmBox channels and our partnership with Allente in Denmark, Norway and Finland for distribution of Dizi offers.

Our flagship FilmBox offers diverse content access at compelling prices. We offer a portfolio of TV channels, such as FilmBox, FilmBox Premium, FilmBox Extra and FilmBox Stars, and the FilmBox+ SVOD service. We believe in a strong connection between linear channels and SVOD services to address the full range of viewers’ needs. This is why we introduced the new enhanced version of FilmBox+ in September, with a refreshed look and new functionalities to make it even more enjoyable and encourage new users to check out our offer.

Of course, we continue working to further enrich our channel offerings by curating and acquiring attractive content from main distribution partners. We pay a lot of attention to maintaining a strong relationship with them. SPI recently strengthened partnerships with such partners as MGM (Poland, Czech Republic), Paramount, Prorom and Bonton Film (Czech Republic).

WS: How have you grown your suite of digital services and products?
LUHERNE: The development of our suite of digital services and products has been driven primarily by the growing needs of the market and our global audience. Customers are looking for on-demand content, flexible access models and, due to market saturation, products that guarantee quality at an affordable price. With these needs, we have set our sights on expanding and refreshing our streaming service FilmBox+ to provide users with an even better experience, both in terms of quality and better presentation of the variety of content to make it easier for them to choose.

Another key area in our digital portfolio is the development of our partnership with Prime Video. We create branded corners to deliver differentiated content, allowing us to reach new audiences on one of the most popular global streaming platforms.

YouTube has remained an important area for many years where we can reach a slightly different audience. We are working intensively to develop our business in this digital channel. An example is the TeleNowele YouTube channel in Poland, which presents Turkish and Latin American series. Viewers who watch this type of content on YouTube usually look for easy access to their favorite shows, without time limits and with the ability to choose what and when they want to watch.

With such a broad and tailored offering, we present our content to a diverse audience and adapt to their rapidly changing preferences, which is a key part of our growth strategy in international markets.

WS: What’s the key to managing successful partnerships with cable and telco operators?
LUHERNE: Our capacity to build a nice offer of TV channels and an SVOD service with an affordable strategy. Moreover, being open to discussion and searching for solutions together is very important. We are doing our best to answer the needs of our business partners and the market and to be active and supportive in any field. Finally, SPI is committed to bringing its expertise in marketing and communication campaigns to promote the channels.

WS: What is driving your content-sales segment, and how does it fit into the entire operation?
LUHERNE: SPI International is an active supplier of films and TV shows in international markets through distribution and license sales. The strongest part of the catalog is star-cast action and thriller movies, including the recent Bricklayer with Aaron Eckhart, BeeKeeper with Jason Statham and multiple offers with Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. With these star performers, SPI holds all rights to the library and most recent productions. On top of these, we have rom-coms and evergreen movies that resonate across multiple territories.

WS: What is the role of data in making strategic decisions about programming and channel expansion?
LUHERNE: Managing the wide SPI International portfolio in a competitive and demanding landscape requires building a strategy on coherent and consistent data sources. The case is to draw constructive learnings from a great amount of data. We go from a general overview to detailed analyses. A good understanding of the environment we are operating in and defining external threats and opportunities allows us to assess our performance in the right way and draw proper conclusions for the future. That is why the data ecosystem in our company covers external data sources (research, reports, digital tools acquired from the well-known agencies on the market) and in-house analysis and reports prepared based on Nielsen data. Of course, the TV expertise of the great SPI teams is also an important asset.

WS: How are you balancing distribution and advertising revenues? Where are you seeing growth?
LUHERNE: This year we can observe a positive advertising trend reflected in our revenues, especially in Poland, where the television advertising market is growing and our channels’ results are increasing. Our advertising revenues compared to the previous year increased by more than 30 percent for our key brands. We initiated an extension of ad-sales activities to the FilmBox channel in Hungary. Thanks to the increasing importance of ad sales for our group, we have a very good balance of revenues between advertising and distribution.

WS: What are your goals for the company in the 12 to 18 months ahead?
LUHERNE: The portfolio of our flagship FilmBox-branded thematic channels and FilmBox+ streaming service will remain the key focus for SPI International for the foreseeable future. Our ambition is always to maximize the value of our channels and services to support the expansion of our partners’ activities. We will continue to work with top distributors and make new acquisitions to enhance our channels and services. We also plan to produce new original shows to make our offer even more distinguished and attractive. Bringing quality content allows us to attract viewers and drive engagement, which positively impacts achieved results. And, of course, we are highly motivated to expand FilmBox’s footprint in key regions worldwide.